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Light, Left and Loose Hands

In English, we are used to using a number of idioms to express that something is easy without thinking much about the literal meaning of what we are saying. For instance, to someone who is not so familiar with English, the expression "it's a piece of cake" might sound like you are discussing pastries, when really you are just attempting to express that something is easy. 

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The German language also has a number of idioms expressing that something is easy or easily done, and many of them are related to the hands. 

 

Heute wird das alles mit leichter Hand, äh, so weggewischt.

Today, that is all erased with a light hand [idiom, with ease].

Caption 80, Die Stunde der Offiziere - Dokudrama über den 20. Juli 1944

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This means that you don't have to use much energy for something and can use a "light hand" to easily get something done.

 

Das machen wir dann mit links.

We'll do that then with our left hand [idiom, easily].

 

This does not mean to literally use your left hand to do something, but rather that something is so easy that a right-handed person could even manage it with their less nimble left hand.

 

Dann ging mir das eigentlich locker von der Hand.

Then it actually went very loosely from the hand [idiom, was easy for me].

Caption 72, Frankfurter Flughafen - Flugzeugschlepper

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This might suggest that something has fallen out of your hand, but actually means that something was accomplished with very little effort or quite easily.

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Further Learning
Go onto Yabla German and find more examples of phrases expressing "easy" and "easily." As Piggeldy and Frederick always say: Nichts leichter als das!

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